His Girl Friday coming to Criterion... and there's more

[Mike Gebert]

There are lots of DVDs of His Girl Friday out there, and that's the problem— it's public domain so there hasn't been the incentive for anyone to put money and work into a superior copy.

But now it's coming from Criterion, in January, according to their newsletter.

Which reminds me, that they found the original US cut of the 1931 Front Page, which revealed for the first time that the best copy we had was actually a British cut. When will we ever get to see that?

Disc Features
New 2K restoration of Lewis Milestone’s The Front Page (1931), made from a recently discovered print of the director’s preferred version

That sure sounds like it as an extra on the same disc, buried in the fine print. Very exciting news.

https://www.criterion.com/films/27903-his-girl-friday" target="_blank

[dede]

It certainly sounds like it could be the recently discovered print. Let's hope so! I'll be ordering this one straight away.

[R Michael Pyle]

Ordered! Thank you. I saw about "His Girl Friday", but I hadn't noticed the info about "The Front Page" - which I would far and away prefer to see - especially in a good print...

[Ray Faiola]

Sony/Columbia's DVD is from a beautiful 35mm print.

[Mike Gebert]

This is from another site's comment section:

The Museum of Modern Art is showing this version of THE FRONT PAGE in November as part of their annual To Save and Project series. This is what they say about the differences between versions:

"The first film version of Hecht and MacArthur’s 1928 Broadway hit—perhaps the greatest American stage comedy—has long been available only in poorly duplicated copies of the foreign release version, which used second-best takes and dropped many specifically American cultural references. This new edition, restored from a print of the domestic version discovered in the personal collection of producer Howard Hughes, reveals a substantially better film, with sharper gags, crackerjack timing, and an innovative use of extended takes by director Lewis Milestone."

[s.w.a.c.]

Not just buried in the fine print, it's also in the main article announcing the release:

Also presented here is a brand-new restoration of the 1931 The Front Page, the famous pre-Code adaptation of the same material, directed by Lewis Milestone

I have the Columbia DVD, which was the best available version of His Girl Friday, and wasn't planning to double dip, but the inclusion of the U.S. cut of The Front Page changes things a bit. Who doesn't need more HD Frank McHugh?

[Marr&Colton]

HIS GIRL FRIDAY has been deleted from the well-researched PD sites.

Apparently someone bought the literary rights and claimed ownership of the 1939 film, and nobody wanted to fight over it.

Any similar rumblings?

[Mike Gebert]

I long wondered why they hadn't; surely The Front Page was under copyright well enough to be enforceable.

Not just buried in the fine print, it's also in the main article announcing the release:

What's "the main article"?

[s.w.a.c.]

I long wondered why they hadn't; surely The Front Page was under copyright well enough to be enforceable.

I've seen many lousy PD copies of The Front Page as well, so maybe there was also an assumption about His Girl Friday's legal status?

Not just buried in the fine print, it's also in the main article announcing the release:

What's "the main article"?

The main synopsis paragraph at the top of the page, above the disc features, it's at the very bottom of that as well.

(Sorry if I muddied the waters, Michael, we're on the same (front) page, really!)

[Daveismyhero]

Slightly off topic, but I love the film It Happened One Night. Given that, do you think I would enjoy His Girl Friday? No spoilers, please.

[Mike Gebert]

Well, they're not entirely similar, His Girl Friday is more fast-paced and a little zanier, but they're alike in the sense that they're both really, really good comedy-romances of the 1930s and early 1940s, so assuming you're not a 17-year-old who won't watch anything black and white... yes! You'll like it!

[Dean Thompson]

My copy arrived about an hour ago. The accompanying booklet unfolds like a newspaper; someone at Criterion should be given a raise for that clever touch. I've had time only to spot-check THE FRONT PAGE but can report that it looks very, very good (far better than the Kino release), and--great news for those of us with hearing loss--it's captioned! Be prepared to read at a fast clip, though!

[David Alp]

So am I correct in assuming that the NEW British-cut of "The Front Page" (which we have to remember is one of the "extras" on this set) is presented on a Blu-Ray Disc in 1080i HD? (The reason I ask is because a lot of extra's on Blu-Rays are sometimes presented in standard definition).

[Mike Gebert]

The Kino one is the British cut, which wasn't known until this one was discovered and determined to be the original US version.

I assume it's blu-ray. This comment at Criterionforum.org doesn't say so (other than that "also"), but it reads like it would say if it wasn't:

What may be of great interest to viewers, though, is that Criterion also includes Lewis Milestone’s 1931 film adaptation of The Front Page on the second dual-layer disc, which has received a new 4K restoration scanned from a 35mm safety print provided by the University of Nevada. Kino has also released the film on Blu-ray but what’s interesting about Criterion’s presentation, other than the new 4K restoration, is that it’s actually a different version, put together from different takes, and is probably closer to the original North American theatrical release (one feature on this disc actually explains why that is). I admit to preferring His Girl Friday simply because of Grant and Russell, but this one’s still a fun adaptation of the fast-talking play, though as another feature points out, slower than the Hawks remake. The two adaptations are very similar, though differ a bit in timelines, while The Front Page also show more of the details in the central prison escape.

[Dean Thompson]

It's blu-ray, sure enough; I should have made that clear earlier.

[Christopher Jacobs]

I've not yet ordered it (need to do that soon) but here are some details from the Blu-ray.com review:

Disc Two

•The Front Page (1931) - presented here is Lewis Milestone's film The Front Page, starring Adolphe Menjou, Pat O'Brien,a and Mary Brian. For additional information about the recent 4K restoration of the film, please see the video section of our review. MPEG-4 AVC/1080p/English LPCM 1.0. With optional English SDH subtitles.
•Restoring The Front Page - this new featurette focuses on the recent 4K restoration of The Front Page and highlights some of the differences between the final restored version of the film and previously available versions. Included in the featurette are interviews with Dr. Hart Wegner (former chair, UNLV Department of Film), Francisco Menendez (founding artistic director, UNLV Department of Film), Michael Pogorzelski (dierctor, Film Archive, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences), and Heather Addison (professor and chair, UNLV Department of Film), amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).

The entire review is at http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/His-Girl- ... 00/#Review" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

The list price of $50 is typically discounted to about $35, which is a reasonable price for two excellent films on Blu-ray plus all the bonus features. During the regular half-price Criterion sales it will be only $25, or $12.50 per film, quite a bargain. I remember mediocre 16mm dupes of HIS GIRL FRIDAY selling for $150 or more, and decent 16mm reductions of what turns out to be the international cut of THE FRONT PAGE running around $300. Looking forward to seeing the original American cut for a change (and in full HD)!

[dede]

I'll be buying both the Kino version and the Criterion now just to see the differences.

[Ray Faiola]

Does the "restored trailer" have text? The previously extant trailer was missing the text overlays.

[Ray Faiola]

Got the Criterion set. Both FRIDAY and PAGE look beautiful. The FRIDAY teaser has text overlays; the longer trailer does not have text overlays. Again, audio has been rolled off at the top to reduce "noise".